It was five years ago that I first heard about the
fantastic fishing for jumbo perch on this shallow prairie lake. Having to check
it out for myself the first perch I caught on East Shoal measured 38.10
centimetres or 15 inches.

I had never seen a perch this big before, never mind
landed one. I knew right away that this
was a special lake and since that time the fishing has gone down a bit as more
and more anglers make the trip. The important part in all of this is to
remember to release those trophy fish. A perch that size is old, probably about
ten years of age.

Yellow perch spawn once a year in spring using large
schools and shallow areas of a lake or low-current tributary streams. They do
not build a redd or nest. Spawning typically takes place at night or in
the early morning. Females have the potential to spawn up to eight times in
their lifetimes. While East Shoal Lake is relatively shallow, flooding
over the last ten years has allowed the perch and pike to thrive and has
prevented winter kill because of the improved water levels. North Shoal Lake
and West Shoal Lake also have perch, pike and some stocked walleye. All of
these lakes can be fished in the summer but access is not easy. A small boat is
recommended.

PERCH WATERS; For years East Angling Lake in the Duck
Mountains was the place for jumbo perch. The largest perch registered on the
all-time Master Angler list is now 42.42 centimetres or 16.7 inches. It was
caught by Kate Upton ice fishing in West Shoal Lake which lies a short distance
away. All my trips over the last five years have been to East Shoal with access
off of Highway 415. There are at least a couple of different ways to get on the
lake but this has worked the best for me.

TECHNIQUES FOR TROPHY PERCH

In some bodies of water, spoons and minnow parts work
best for perch and in other bodies of water, especially prairie lakes, real
small jigs tipped with bloodworms, maggots and shrimp work best. This is a
forage preference. Perch in our prairie lakes fatten up on scuds or freshwater
shrimp.

On recent trips I have been targeting those fish
eating shrimp. Most have been in water less than nine feet so the use of my
small tungsten1/16 G-WHOPPER JIG from Bentley fishing has been a perfect fit.
It’s molded in the shape of an ice cube and has a “Swarvoski” crystal on the
top of its head. This crystal provides a unique flash as it drops weight
forward to the bottom. The square shape also allows the jig to rest on the
bottom with the hook up. Tipped with a small orange power maggot from Berkley
it proved to be deadly in getting big fish to bite.

When fish are scattered, calling them in from a
distance can be the key. For that reason I like to use the Lindy Rattl’N Flyer
jig. It has a sideways glide action and when dropped will disturb sediment on
the bottom. This cloud will attract perch who think other perch are feeding on
the bottom. On the last trip I would jig aggressively with five or six drops
then hold the jig just off the bottom about a foot. Once I marked a fish I
would twitch the bait and lift it to see the reaction of the fish on the
Humminbird Ice 55 Flasher. On this day there was no hesitation, that jumbo
perch would come up and inhale the bait.